American Politics Commons^™

What Went Wrong With Economics?: Milton Friedman, Alexander Meiklejon, And The Reorientation Of Freedom, Aria Mia Loberti

Senior Honors Projects

Economics went wrong in the midst of the Cold War, specifically the time of the terror of communism in the 1950s. It went wrong in Chicago economics in particular—exacerbated by a reorientation in how to understand and conceptualize freedom. Milton Friedman’s Capitalism and Freedom trumpets the virtues of economic freedom, or the freedom of choice within the competitive market. It represents the Chicago neoliberal position. In contrast, the luminary Alexander Meiklejohn advocates a radically different conception of freedom, and his ideas echo the voices pre-1950 Chicago economics. Meiklejohn promotes political freedom over economic freedom: championing absolute protection for free speech, …

Birtherism, Benghazi And Qanon: Why Conspiracy Theories Pose A Threat To American Democracy, Emily Schabes 20

Honor Scholar Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Lgbtq+ Representation On The Political And Theatrical Stages, Brett V. Ries

Honors Thesis

This thesis examines the relationship between LGBTQ+ representation on the political and theatrical stages. During some decades, LGBTQ+ theatre was dictated by the politics of the time period. During other times, theatre educated and filled the silence when the government and society turned the other way. By examining LGBTQ+ plays, musicals, and political events over the past century, there are clear themes that emerge. In both the theatrical and political arenas, LGBTQ+ representation has been limited by a concept called “repressive tolerance.” Every step of progress has been met with another restriction, ranging from stereotypical caricatures to legal discrimination. In …

Privacy Or The Polls: Public Voter Registration Laws As A Modern Form Of Vote Denial, Audrey Paige Sauer

William & Mary Law Review

On May 11, 2017, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order establishing the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (PACEI), with the mission to “study the registration and voting processes used in Federal elections.” Pursuant to this mission, Vice Chair of the Commission, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, sent out letters to state election officials soliciting all “publicly available voter roll data,” including all registrants’ full first and last names, middle names or initials, addresses, dates of birth, political party, last four digits of Social Security numbers if available, voter history from 2006 onward, information regarding any felony …

Does Imprisonment Have An Effect On Crime Rates?, Diana E. Mendez

Student Publications

Since the 1790s, prisons in the United States were built with the means of reducing crime rates through the usage of incapacitation, deterrence, and rehabilitation. However, while it may seem intuitive to assume that higher incarceration rates yield lower crime rates, it is not regularly the case. Using the 2016 States dataset, I examine the effects of incarceration rates and its influence on crime rates in the United States; I suggest that states with higher incarceration rates will have higher crime rates than states with lower incarceration rates. Therefore, the evidence concludes states with high incarceration rates generate higher rates …

Hora De Las Noticias: The Importance Of Spanish- Language News Media For Us Latinos, Barbara Gomez-Aguinaga

Political Science ETDs

This dissertation examines the mechanisms that set Spanish-language (SL) news media apart from mainstream media, and how they influence political behavior and identity among US Latinos. Specifically, it analyzes (1) the role of content coverage of SL news on issue salience, (2) the use of Spanish as a US minority language in the dissemination of information and its effects on Latino identity, and (3) the presence of Latino reporters and its implications on media trust. By leveraging original data collection, including conceptual content analyses and population-based survey experiments, and by engaging in multiple theories from political science and other fields …

Unm Staff Council: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee Letter Condemning Racist Threats Against Faculty Member, Unm Staff Council

Black History at UNM

Open letter by UNM Staff Council Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, condemning racist attacks on a UNM faculty member with 439 signatories.

Political Ideology And Media Consumption, Andrew Robinson

Georgia College Student Research Events

Politics is a far reaching phenomenon that, in essence, controls everything that we do in our daily lives without us even realizing it most of the time, and it is constantly evolving and changing to fit the narrative of the age. In this modern world, we see an increase in political radicalization, especially in the United States. Politics has become more of a social experience than a set of beliefs, with some going so far as to incorporate it into their personal identity and seek and find the ideas that best fit them. This research analyzes the effect that a …

Responsibilities Of Citizenship During The Pandemic, Evan Barrett

Highlands College

Newspaper column by Evan Barrett published in the following newspaper:

The Missoulian, March 30, 2020

The Montana Standard, March 31, 2020

The Havre Daily News, March 30, 2020

The Havre Herald, March 30, 2020

The Great Falls Tribune, April 11, 2020

The Montana Post, April 3, 2020

The Missoula Current, April 2, 2020

Examining Political Ambition: Competition And Leadership In Youth Activities, Ashley Staszak

LSU Master's Theses

Significant amounts of previous research focused on political ambition as a source of the gender gap in representation (Beyer and Bowden 1997; Pajares 2002; Fox 2010; Fox and Lawless 2014). This research looks to examine extracurricular activities (or after-school activities) and the effects they have on political ambition of girls as they grow up. Extracurricular activities provide girls access to competition, risk and female role models which can work to combat gender role socialization and other hindrances to running for political office. Using a survey of 300 undergraduate students at a large southern university, I measure the effect of extracurricular …

How Data Became Part Of New Orleans’ Dna During The Katrina Recovery, Lamar Gardere, Allison Plyer, Denice Ross

New England Journal of Public Policy

Data intermediaries have a symbiotic relationship with government as the source of most of their information. The open-data movement in government and development of software-as-a-service technologies shaped the data landscape after Katrina. Through relationships and talent transfers with The Data Center, the City of New Orleans went from having its chief technology officer in federal prison and its data systems in shambles to being a nationally recognized leader in open and accountable government. To be effective during disasters, an intermediary should be (1) in place and widely respected before the event, (2) ready to respond immediately after the event and …

The Evolution Of Partisan Voting At The County Level In Georgia, Ohio, And Texas, 1990-2016, David R. Shock

The Journal of Economics and Politics

This paper evaluates aggregate-level partisan change in presidential and midterm elections at the county level in Georgia, Ohio, and Texas. Specifically, this analysis focuses on how demographic, electoral, cultural, and economic variables affect the percentage of the electorate voting for the Democratic Party candidates for U.S. President and other statewide offices from 1990 through 2016. In addition, this study conducts sub-state regional analyses using U.S. Census Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) to assess the local nature of partisan change in the U.S. OLS regression and correlation coefficients, as well as difference of means test results indicate that increases in population density …

Institute For Public Policy National Poll - March 2020, Institute For Public Policy

Public Policy Poll Results

The Sacred Heart University Institute for Public Policy leveraged a dual-methodology quantitative research approach to address the following areas of investigation:

• Thoughts on the quality of life in Connecticut
• Governor Ned Lamont’s job approval ratings
• Awareness of Lamont’s new transportation proposal
• Opinions toward the legalization of recreational marijuana in the State
• Awareness of and opinions with the proposed Clean Slate Legislation
• Ranking of 2020 Presidential election candidates
• Demographic profiles of respondents

Unearthing The Consequences Of The U.S.’S Conventional Food System: How To Frame Analysis, Assess Damages And Cope With The Realities, Katherine James Clark

Student Theses and Dissertations

The U.S.’s conventional food system has driven many of the country’s most serious health concerns. Since the food system was molded by historical events, policy changes, and industrial evolution, the totality of the consequences has only been realized in the last several decades. Despite the attention the issues have garnered, it is likely improvement has not been observed because: 1) the resulting consequences and their dynamics have not been viewed in a comprehensive, interactive light; 2) many previous efforts have only focused on one segment of the issue and have not taken a holistic approach; and, 3) political and industrial …

A Tale Of Two Culpers: Social Context Of Revolutionary Espionage, Kelsey Samantha Deford

Student Theses and Dissertations

What motivates a person to engage or take part in espionage? Scholars have researched thousands of documents about espionage during the American Revolution, but much of this research remains divided and simplistic. Historians have also examined the Culper Spy Ring, a patriot intelligence gathering network in occupied Long Island and New York. They typically argue how useful the Culper Ring was in assisting rebel efforts. There is social context or a “war of ordeals” in these agent’s lives. Two of these agents, Abraham Woodhull and Robert Townsend, left a trail of their motivations. Letters reveal that both were motivated by …

Pro-Life Ends At Birth: Race As A Primary Driver Of State Abortion And Concurrent Natalist Policy, Tasha Danner

University Honors Theses

The year 2019 saw the most restrictive state abortion policies introduced and passed since Roe v Wade. The same states passing this legislation are often states also cutting funding for policies that improve the health and socio-economic mobility of mothers and children, which disproportionately affects African-American residents of those states. Outside of reproductive justice advocacy, there is not much research on the role that race plays in the introduction and passing of state abortion policy. I examine and analyze the role of racial prejudice in passing restrictive abortion policy in southern states. Using historical context in southern states, a survey …

Defining Criminality: Confronting Racist And Classist Narratives Of The Criminal, Sophia Meacham

Compass: An Undergraduate Journal of American Political Ideas

Defining someone as a criminal carries serious consequences for the individual in terms of a denial of resources, increased surveillance, incarceration, and dehumanization, and also for society as a whole.

Author information: Sophia Meacham is now at the Columbia College of Arts and Sciences at George Washington University where she is pursuing a Masters degree in Media and Strategic Communications. This research was conducted as an independent study by the author as an undergraduate at Smith College.

Locke’S Questionable Use Of The Bible In Establishing His Theory Of Property, Amy Al-Salaita

Compass: An Undergraduate Journal of American Political Ideas

Locke’s philosophy is not only wrongly founded in the Old Testament, continually relying on the creation story of Genesis in order to justify capitalist theory, but it also selectively uses the Bible in order to excuse wealth disparity and social inequality.

Author information: Amy Al-Salaita is graduate of Loyola University Chicago (Class of 2020), where she studied Political Science and Global and International Studies, with a minor in Arabic.

The American Torture Problem, Chase Sievers

Compass: An Undergraduate Journal of American Political Ideas

This essay offers a brief account and (partial) critique of the Central Intelligence Agency’s enhanced interrogation program which was utilized during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Author information: Chase Sievers is an undergraduate student at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He enjoys writing about and studying politics and culture.

The Political Personality Of 2020 Democratic Presidential Contender Bernie Sanders, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper reports the results of an indirect assessment of the personality of U.S. senator Bernie Sanders — a contender for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential election — from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon. Information concerning Sanders was collected from biographical sources and media reports and synthesized into a personality profile using the Millon Inventory of Diagnostic Criteria (MIDC), which yields 34 normal and maladaptive personality classifications congruent with DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, and DSM-5.

The personality profile yielded by the MIDC was analyzed on the basis of interpretive guidelines provided in the MIDC and …